I used to love debating. I always wanted to be the "whip" (you know, the person at the end who pulverizes the opposition with their own arguments and leaves them squirming in their seats...yeah, that whip) because I enjoyed using the oppositions arguments against them. It was exciting and made me feel powerful and superior. I always had to be right, so I knew I could counter any argument. And it was okay back then because people would set aside their personal feelings on the topics debated and a good discussion would ensue. Back in the "olden days" that was how it was done. You would even have to debate a topic on the side you were against, and everyone would learn something by being required to debate both sides of a subject.

Apparently that's not so anymore. These days people get too emotional about the topics being discussed and they never bother to research the other side. Now it's all very personal. I'm not saying that it was totally impersonal back in the Dark Ages, but it seemed to me (at least when I was debating) that we were more inclined to learn both sides of the issue, if for no other reason than so that we could properly and completely put forth our own side. And we would never consider bashing the people we were debating against. Now it's all degenerated into ad hominim argument, where, as soon as someone's side starts to lose, they viciously attack the other people's character instead of putting up an honest argument. You can see that in political debates (anyone catch any of the recent Republican Presidential debates??! And these are our prospective leaders??? Lord have mercy...).

A perfect example is a massive argument raging over at The Local - Sweden...it's an argument that is beyond stupid and shows how little people are paying attention. The argument is over the continued use by The Local of the word "elk" to refer to a moose...

Several people have pointed out in the comments section that European "elk" is the North American "moose" and the North American "elk" is actually a species of deer; not an "elk" at all. The argument is between Americans and Europeans with the Americans getting all mouthy to The Local writers because they keep calling "moose" elk. (At this point my eyes are killing me from all the eye-rolling, but I'll try to keep up)

The problem here is that the Americans can't seem to be bothered to pay attention to the (quite stellar) education by the non-American readers who keep repeatedly informing the Americans that the Swedish "elk" is, in fact, an elk and the North American "elk" is, in fact, not an elk!

So, for those who need some educating, here it is:

The Eurasian "elk" is the Alces alces and looks like this:

 

The North American "elk" is the Cervus canadensis and looks like this:

Just because the Alces alces is called "moose" in the USA and Canada does not mean that it is not an "elk," and just because the Cervus canadensis is called "elk" in the USA and Canada does not mean that it is. One of the comments on a recent elk-related news item said it best, so I'll simply copy and paste it here:

 

it is not that hard to understand.

Swedes use moose in English because it is a cooler word and as a sop to our American cousins, who are more sensitive about these things. (Emphasis added)

While the Americans and the British can go on squabbling over who has the right to claim the English language as their own, one thing is for certain - the Swedes do not have that right and would never claim it.

The underlying factor is that animals all have a latin  name (in this case alces alces) so the imperialist linguistic tendencies of the US/UK should be given a reality check." (sic)



And there it is...seriously, it makes me crazy that Americans think they are smarter than everyone else when it's very often the American that is wrong. This Swede has to point out that using the term "moose" to describe what is rightly an "elk" is "a sop" to assuage the superiority complexes of Americans. Contrary to popular American (especially US American) belief, we are not superior to other nationalities and it will be a Hallelujah Day when Americans as a whole get a clue and stop thinking that!

The Swedish "elk" is an elk so stop having a cow when they call it that.

Oh, and who died and made the US the World Police? But that's a rant for another day.